This invention relates to hinges for cabinet doors which are designed to be concealed when the door is closed. The present invention discloses a hinge which is an improvement of my Concealed Hinge, Almestad U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766 granted Nov. 10, 1987.
The present application presents an improvement over my patented hinge in two major areas. First, the present invention has greater adjustability than the patented hinge. Second, the hinge of the present invention is easier to install.
In the present invention, the angle of the bottom edge of the door with respect to the frame may be adjusted. In the patented hinge, this adjustment was not possible.
Installation of the hinges of the present invention take less time and are easier to install than the hinges of U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766 by eliminating certain structural members of the ""766 hinge and modifying others, and by providing a simple paper template.
Specifically, referring to U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766, the horizontal flange except projection 25 of door plate member 12 and openings 17 and 49 punched therein are eliminated. It is unnecessary to form a bend between the horizontal flange of door plate member 12 and rear side member 31. Further, side angle member 26 on base plate member 19 is eliminated. As shown in FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766, the portion of the base plate member 19 between bend lines 35 and 37 is eliminated as well as the need to bend the base plate member 19 along lines 35, 36, and 37. Openings 27 in side angle member 26 are eliminated.
Finally, as shown in FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766, it was necessary to form a routed portion 33 with a special tool in the bottom edge 6 of door 1to receive the horizontal portion of door plate member 12. In the present application, this special routing is eliminated. Elimination of carpentry work on the door is a labor saving. The hinge of the present application is fastened to the door with screws on the backside of the door only, whereas the hinge of U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766 was fastened to the bottom edge 6 of the door as well as the back side of the door 1.
The hardware of the present invention is simply attached to the door by placing it flush with either the top or bottom edge of the door and flush with the side of the door. This operation does not need a template for marking holes. The hardware is simply laid on the door and a mark for the holes is made on the backside of the door.
The template is only needed to mark the screw holes on the base and top of the cabinet and for marking the pivot clearing holes.
The thickness of the door plate hinge on the prior art Almestad U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766 was {fraction (1/16)}xe2x80x3 whereas the new plate of the present invention is thinner (20 Gauge ({fraction (1/32)}xe2x80x3). The fit of the door within the cabinet frame is tighter and leaves less gap.
For partially pre-finished furniture and cabinets, all the holes could be marked and predrilled in the factory. The customer would not have to use any templates.
As stated above, the hinges of the present invention are easier to install than the hinges described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766 by eliminating certain structural members of the hinge and modifying others, and by providing a simple paper template.
Specifically, the ""766 hinge required the installer to make an accurate measurement of the thickness of the door. A line was then drawn on the base in precise alignment with the front edge of the cabinet. Finally, the base of the hinge was laid on the base of the cabinet with part of the hinge in precise overlayment with this line. The screw attachment openings were then marked in the cabinet. While this operation is fairly easy, the problem gets more complicated when your have to repeat this procedure to mark the cabinet for the upper hinge. Specifically, marking lines on the underside of the upper portion of the cabinet and then holding the hinge on this line while looking upwardly, is not easy while the procedure is workable for a workman who has installed several hinge in several cabinets, the average do-it-yourselfer, is not a good candidate for this job; especially when he completes the work and finds that the door is out of alignment and further adjustment or even starting over again is required.
All of the foregoing measurements and operations which require precision and the handling of the hinge member in awkward positions is replaced by using a simple paper template to locate the hinge base plate member. The chance of making an error is practically eliminated because the template is only placed against two edges; viz. the front edge of the cabinet and the front edge of the door. There are only two lateral edges that are used; viz. the inside edge of the cabinet or stiles of the cabinet and the edge of the door.
The primary advantage of the hinge of the present invention over the Almestad hinge of U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,766 is that it is easier and faster to install. Easier and faster installation,is believed to be crucial to a xe2x80x9cdo-it-yourselferxe2x80x9d (DIYer) in whether he or she will tackle the job of making his or her own cabinets or deciding to pay a much greater amount to have a professional build the cabinet. Further in this age of Home DepotK, IKEDAK stores and other retailers that specialize in furniture and cabinets which are only partly assembled and some assembly is left to the customer, it is believed that easy and fast installation is the difference between commercial success and failure. Such stores will only use hardware which meets the foregoing classification.
The ease and swiftness of installation is primarily due to two reasons: (1) the present hinge lends itself to the use of a simple paper template that the DIYer can understand and use in installing the hinge to the cabinet. (2) The improved hinge attaches to the rear face of the cabinet door rather than the top or bottom edge of the door.
The unique advantage of the present invention is the fact that the hinge can be very light and small as the entire weight of the door is borne by the pivot which rests on the base of the cabinet. Secondly, some prior art hinges place the pivot point outboard of the base of the cabinet which means that the lever arms of the hinge must be strong enough to bear the weight of the door.
Installation is basically achieved by first locating the hinges on the door and cabinets by marking the screw holes in the base and door and for marking the pivot clearance hole or depression in the door and cabinet. Door face plate member is first attached to the rear face of the cabinet door with screws. Cabinet base plate member is then attached to the base of the cabinet with screws. The upper part of the cabinet door is then attached to the cabinet in the same manner with hinges which are identical to, but mirror images of the lower hinge.
Finally, adjustment of the angle of the lower edge of the door with respect to the cabinet frame may be adjusted by eliminating the horizontal portion of door plate member on the patented Almestad hinge and providing a slotted opening in the vertical portion of the door plate member permitting adjustment of the door with respect to the hinge in a vertical direction.
The hinge of the present invention is primarily used for wood doors, but the composition of the door may also be made of plastic, or glass.
A method of installing the hinges for a single door in the frame includes the steps of: creating a template with indicia locating the elongated fastener openings and the pivot means in the base plate member with respect to the planar front face and the planar side face of the frame; placing the template alternately on the top and bottom bases of the frame in alignment with the planar front face of the frame and the planar side face of the frame; marking the location of the elongated fastener openings and pivot clearances alternately on the planar top and bottom bases; forming depressions in the top and bottom bases for clearance of the pivot means; placing the door plate members respectively on the rear face of the door with the lower edge of the door plate member in registration with the bottom edge face of the door and the side edge of the door plate member in registration with the planar end face of the door and inserting fasteners through the elongated fastener openings into the door, and then installing the other door plate member in like manner in the door adjacent the top edge face; setting the door in the frame; and inserting fasteners respectively through the elongated fastener openings in the base plate members and into the marked locations of the elongated fastener opening on the planar top and bottom bases.
Marking the locations of the oval holes and pivot locations may be done with a sharp awl, or any similar instrument. Where self drilling screws are not used, it is preferable to prethread the holes for the screws with a screw starter. The depression for the pivot clearance is preferably formed by drilling a shallow hole.
In order to obtain a good fit of the door plate member with the door, the portion of the door edge which registers with the bend in door plate member where the protrusion attaches should be formed to tightly register with the bend in the lower edge of the door plate member. This may be done by lightly preparing the door edge by rubbing with fine sandpaper to slightly round the inside edge of the door.
Of course, after the door hinges are installed, adjustments should be made to property fit the door within the frame and the screws tightened. Screws then should be inserted through the remaining fastener openings in the hinges and tightened.